Best USB microphones for streaming: Upgrade your stream with high-quality audio

Our top picks provide great vocal clarity and robust features while still being affordable.

- ADAM PATRICK MURRAY & ALAINA YEE

Whether you’re streaming games to Twitch (go. pcworld.com/sgtw), YouTube, or another streaming platform, your audience needs to hear you clearly over the gameplay. (The same holds true if you’re holding live chat sessions or talking with your viewers as you work on a project.) And unfortunately, microphones built into laptops, webcams, and even headsets just don’t sound as good as a full-size mic sitting close to your mouth.

The good news is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to upgrade. While professional streamers use pro-level audio equipment for the best possible sound, USB microphones are much cheaper. They’re also much easier to use without sacrificing quality. Plug a USB microphone into your computer, and you can be off and running immediately. Our picks for the best USB microphones focus on these core basics: They’re easy-to-use models that offer great quality for a fair price, as well as working with a variety of voice types and volume levels.

OUR TOP PICK ELGATO WAVE:3

The Elgato Wave:3 (go. pcworld.com/ewv3) packs in a lot of performance for a $160 USB microphone. Not only does it sound great out of the box, but it can be tuned further, too. You can also easily adjust the mic during streams, thanks to a capacitive mute button and a physical dial that controls mic gain, headphone volume, and crossfade (that means the balance of your mic versus PC volume when using connected headphones).